


Perfect Shot

by GintaxAlvissforever



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-25
Updated: 2012-11-25
Packaged: 2017-11-19 11:44:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GintaxAlvissforever/pseuds/GintaxAlvissforever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trip just wanted to enter this photography contest and get a good picture. Upon meeting Ash again, not only does he have to deal with rampaging Bouffalant and hostile Larvesta but he also has to remember his dark past...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfect Shot

**Author's Note:**

> Perfect Shot
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Best Wishes or Pokémon Black and White. I only own Amanda, Linda and Porter.
> 
> Summary: Trip makes it to the next town before Nimbasa City and decided to compete in a photography contest. All he has to do is submit a single photo to win the grand prize of a dusk stone that he could use to evolve his Lampent. Luckily for him, there is a herd of Bouffalant that would make a beautiful picture due to their rare time of peace. Of course, Ash and friends not only ruin his perfect shot, but also startle these Pokémon in chasing them down. Naturally, Ash and Trip get separated from Iris, Cilan and Pikachu and must work together to find them again. Ash learns why Trip would take such a dangerous picture of a Pokémon that would threaten to attack a human at any minute and it isn't because of what happened with Alder either…
> 
> Pairing: Ash/Trip and Cilan/Iris with hints of Ash/Iris and N/Whitlea
> 
> Rated: T (for teen)
> 
> Genre: Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Humor and some Romance
> 
> Warning: Hinted shonen ai and character death in flashback
> 
> I'm basing Ash's age for the five regions he's went to: Kanto, Orange Island, Hoenn and Sinnoh so the ages in this story are…
> 
> Ash: 15
> 
> Iris: 13-16
> 
> Cilan: 17-18
> 
> Trip: 10
> 
> Whitlea: 16
> 
> Finally, I'm adding the female protagonist in this story but she'll mention the male protagonist and her friends as well…as well as N.

He was only two days away from Nimbasa City but the gym was no longer a priority. Trip glanced at the huge poster that was in front of him that read in huge bold letters.  **PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST! SHOW YOUR SKILLS WITH A SINGLE BREATHTAKING PICTURE OF POKEMON! THE PRIZE IS A DUSK STONE!**

Trip was just a trainer beginning his journey in Unova. However, before becoming a Pokémon trainer, he was already fascinated in something called photography. He loved snapping pictures of Pokémon and their trainers. He adores the idea of recording his journey onto film, so when he was finished with this journey, he could look back and laugh and smile at all the things he did. A contest was perfect to show how well he has gotten with photography over the five years that he has had that camera.

The rules of the contest were written in smaller letters. All you had to do was submit a picture to them before midnight and they'll announce the winner in the afternoon unless they really liked the picture. As long as you showed up in the small stadium where they were announcing the winner would you be able to obtain the prize though. There was no way he could lose if he left the town to backtrack in certain areas where wile Pokémon roamed.

He wasn't the only one that thought that though. There were many other photographers that were planning to enter and win. The lame ones would just go through their camera and submit a picture they have taken in the past. Others were posing with Pokémon trainers to get the perfect shot near there. Finally some photographers were going to take the easiest way out and go to a Pokémon Center, use a computer and Photoshop a picture.

Trip wouldn't have that though. He would snap a picture of Pokémon experiencing their day-to-day life without them noticing him take the picture. To prove he was good would mean to take extra risks and that was what he was going to do.

Leaving the town temporary, Trip hurried to that one place where he remembered seeing wild Pokémon gathered and were getting along in harmony. He had seen many instances of Pokémon living together in one spot without fighting over food or mates. Then again it might have been the season. In the spring, more Pokémon were restless and often fought in that time but during the summer they calmed down a little. This was the best season to take a picture of that.

The young trainer made it to that area that was hidden well from the regular person that didn't search. He saw a clearing with many Pokémon. From the Pidove that flew past the green meadows to the Deerling and Bouffalant sharing the same grass to eat, Trip knew this place was the perfect place to get a wonderful picture of the theme of the contest.

Slowing climbing up the tree, he was careful not to make any noise. Now there were Sewaddle that noticed him crawl up the tree but were not disturbed by his slight movement. Once he made it to a high branch, Trip started to focus his camera in certain spots to catch a good moment between the wild Pokémon.

In the middle of everything, there were many grass Pokémon in the area with the Bouffalant. The photographer was nervous when the Bouffalant stopped what they were doing to glance around the area. He sighed in relief when he realized they wouldn't be able to see him. Trip knew he wasn't good with handling this type of Pokémon. Even though he pet the Bouffalant that the Champion Alder possessed, he was still nervous around them and for very good reasons. He still couldn't forgive them for what they did to someone important to him. However, in order to grow into a reasonable adult, he would have to forget the past and focus on the future.

What caught his attention though was the Whimsicott that were being lifted into the air by both the Deerling and Bouffalant. The Whimsicott didn't have a problem being thrown into the air like they were beach balls. In fact, they looked like they were having fun when their feet weren't on the ground. The Deerling looked like it was having a great time too. The Bouffalant kept its straight face though.

 _This is it._  Trip thought to himself as he prepared to take the picture.  _My winning shot._

He was about to click the button when…

"HEY TRIP!"

The sudden shouting almost caused him to not only lose his focus but also drop his camera. He lost his balance and almost fell out of the tree as a result. Luckily, his reflex was fast enough to grab the branch before he fell to the ground…but that didn't do much as the branch ended up breaking for whatever reason and he ended up falling…right on top a familiar annoying trainer with that weird Kanto hat.

There was a big crash followed by a rather huge scream. The grass Pokémon heard it and fled the area. The Bouffalant just stayed in the area though and continued to eat.

"Ash, I think you went too far this time…"

Trip recognized that voice belonging to the Striation gym leader Cilan. He and Iris just finished clearing the bushes that the annoying trainer known as Ash Ketchum must have jumped over.

Trip didn't even bother apologizing as he got off of his rival. There goes his perfect shot…

"Do you always have to interrupt me at the most important moment?" The young trainer ended up asking instead of checking to see if his rival wasn't injured from him landing on said trainer.

Ash got up weakly. He was still feeling dizzy from the fall but he was use to people landing in his lap and cracking his bones while at it.

"Sorry, I just saw you from over there and wanted to say 'hi'." Ash replied while still in a daze. "I didn't see you were taking pictures…"

Iris just smirked at Ash. "This is what you get when you assume things Ash. You're such a kid."

"Axew!" Iris' little dragon agreed as he popped out of her hair.

Trip just wanted to hit his head against something. Why did Ash have to come by at all times?

"I didn't mess up anything this-"

"You did. Now I got to start all over again."

Ash felt a jolt in his heart and it wasn't because he was electrocuted recently. The Kanto trainer looked away embarrassed and at a loss of words.

"What exactly are you doing?" Cilan asked intrigued at what answer he might receive.

"I was just trying to take a few pictures of the Pokémon here…" Trip replied rather shyly. He didn't like explaining himself and it wasn't often that people actually cared to listen to him. "The Pokémon here are known for living together in harmony. I thought it would be a good shot to get them playing together…"

"Ahh, I see! That's good taste right there!"

Iris continued to grin though. "But, it seems like they all fled."

Trip directed his glare at Ash. "And whose fault is that I wonder?"

"Come on Trip! I'm sorry!"

Trip turned away annoyed. "If you're done talking to me, you can leave now. I have to start over…"

The trio sighed at how distant Trip was being. They should be use to it by now but…

"Hey Trip, let's have a battle now that your picture is messed up!" Ash declared.

"Already?" Iris questioned annoyed with the Kanto trainer.

Trip glared at him and looked away. "I don't have the time to battle with you."

"Eh? Come on! You know you want to battle me~"

"No I don't."

Ash ignored him and threw out a Pokémon. Out of the ball came his Scraggy. Trip stared at the new Pokémon before he looked away.

"My Scraggy has been looking to face your Pokémon in a one on one battle." Ash continued.

Scraggy agreed as he let go of his pants. It fell down as a result but he quickly pulled it back up. Trip shook his head as he began to prepare his camera for another picture.

"I don't have time to battle you." He repeated. "Go find someone else in the next town. They're not doing anything."

"But I want to battle you and only you!"

"…How annoying. Are all people from Kanto this annoying?"

Iris and Cilan backed away from the two trainers. Ash was determined to battle Trip ever since the last battle he had and the photographer rejecting this idea would not leave Ash in a good mood and that was an understatement.

While the two were arguing on whether or not to battle Scraggy was more interested in the field where the Bouffalant were still eating. The little lizard did not learn his lesson after getting poisoned by the Foongus. Going up to them just to pick a fight would be another big mistake for this newly hatched Pokémon.

The group didn't even seem to notice that Scraggy took off. Pikachu noticed and for his better judgment, jumped off his trainer's shoulder and followed the lizard Pokémon.

"Pika! Pika-chu!" Pikachu shouted at Scraggy as if telling him not to attack them.

Scraggy didn't listen to the yellow rat and attacked the Bouffalant that was in the middle of swallowing. The attack actually made it choke on the grass as it was trying to spit it out. Scraggy was still going for another attack but at this point, all the buffalos in the meadow suddenly stopped at what they were doing to give an intimidating glare at the Pokémon that dared to attack one of their own. Scraggy stood his ground and glared back. However, after the Bouffalant he attacked swallowed his food successfully, it was fuming.

The Bouffalant howled as it charged at Scraggy. The lizard Pokémon didn't stand a chance against the head charge attack. Once it collided with the lizard, Scraggy was already KOed and sent flying right into Pikachu. The two crashed into the nearby tree but Pikachu instantly recovered, took the injured Pokémon and raced back to his trainer. But the Bouffalant herd was not done with Scraggy yet. They all began to get ready to charge into the bushes.

"PIKA PI!" Pikachu screamed for his trainer.

That caught Ash's attention as he noticed that his Scraggy was already knocked out. Trip saw that and just sighed in frustration.

"Whatever your Scraggy did, it's weak." Trip finally finished the argument.

Ash rolled his eyes as he returned Scraggy to his Pokéball before asking Pikachu what happened. Pikachu was frantic as it kept doing all of these weird poses with its face and kept doing the motions of running away before jumping onto his trainer's shoulder in fear.

"Axew!" Axew cried out as it hid in Iris' hair not coming out this time.

"What's wrong Axew?" Iris asked.

She was going to find out as they all felt the ground shaking beneath their feet. It didn't take a genius to know what just happened. Trip just glared at Ash who did not seem to understand why his rival was pissed off at him until the Pokémon cries were heard.

"Don't tell me…" Cilan began.

"That your Scraggy…pissed off more Pokémon…" Iris finished.

Ash chuckled nervously as Trip shook his head.

"Hopeless…"

"Heh heh…uh…"

The Bouffalant could be seen from a distant and were closing in on the group. Ash only had one thing to say to that.

"RUN FOR IT!"

And that's exactly what they did. Bouffalant were quick on their feat when they were angry but not as fast as a Tauros would be luckily. Iris was the smart one and traveled via tree. It was almost the smartest thing to do if the Pokémon weren't mowing everything in their path including the trees!

"You can't be serious!" Iris shouted as she ran ahead of the group being faster than the average person.

"Ash, I think you should tell your Scraggy not to do something like this again!" Cilan added. "Didn't he learn the last time?"

"How was I supposed to know that he would do that?"

"Well, Scraggy is your Pokémon."

"Shut up Trip! You don't know my Pokémon!"

"Your Pokémon not only messed up with my shot but started a stampede! Do you bring bad luck wherever you go?"

"You…"

Ash and Trip were busy arguing again that Cilan managed to keep up with Iris as he feared for his life…and his shirt.

"You two hurry up! They're gaining on us!" Iris warned them.

They needed to focus on getting away from the Bouffalant. Just finding a good place to hide while they single-mindedly head in one direction would be the best idea. Of course, there was nowhere to hide though. Going to the next town would be suicidal because there were people there…and then battling them all was out of the question.

"Okay Pikachu, try a thunderbolt!" Ash ordered his Pikachu.

Pikachu turned around on his trainer's shoulder and shot electricity at the herd. His trainer was electrocuted too but it was a risk Ash needed to take to get them to stop charging them. The attack was rather effective as most of them stopped in their tracks. However the ones in the back kept going and crashed into their own herd. Everything became worse from there as the Bouffalant in the back of the group attacked everything with an earthquake that shook the earth more.

The earthquake made it impossible for the group to keep running because attempting to flee would result in imbalance weight that would make them fall down. The Bouffalant weren't done though because one of them had the guts to unleash a powerful hyper beam attack.

"Everyone duck!" Ash ordered when he saw it heading their way.

They had no choice but to duck and cover. That was apparently their goal as that same Bouffalant that sent out the shockwaves to create the earthquake kept going. Its anger was at its peak meaning that its attack power was as well. The earthquake was so powerful that it caused the earth below them to crack. The crack in the earth extended to where Ash and the group were, but only Ash reacted fast enough.

"Cilan, get Iris out of here!" Ash commanded quickly.

The green haired trainer didn't catch that quickly enough. The crack managed to make it toward Ash who was the one in the back to make sure that no one fell behind. The crack ended up almost swallowing him.

"ASH!"

"PIKA PI!"

Ash managed to grab onto the edge of the ground but the crack kept getting larger. The Bouffalant kept using earthquake but weren't chasing them anymore. However, it was equally dangerous.

"ASH!"

Trip didn't know what he was doing when he rushed over to his rival and tried to pull him up.

"! Trip?"

The photographer didn't say anything as he tried to help him up. Pikachu however jumped up and hopped off of his trainer and toward Iris and Cilan if only to get away from the powerful shockwave. Pikachu wasn't going to leave his beloved trainer though and kept making cries for assistance.

Cilan and Iris tried to get to their friend but the cracks made it to them. Instead of falling through, they ended up getting separated from Ash and Trip.

"PIKA PI!"

Trip managed to pull Ash up halfway before the ground broke underneath him.

"! Oh shi-"

Trip ended up falling through along with Ash.

"PIKA PI!"

"ASH! TRIP!"

The ground was getting too unstable for Iris and Cilan to stay in one area. The ground was about to crumble below them as well, but the grass gym leader wouldn't allow that.

"Pansage, use vine whip!" Cilan ordered as he called out his grass monkey Pokémon.

The grass monkey was summoned on top of a tree branch. He held his hands out toward his trainer and two green vines appeared in the middle of them. The vines were long enough for Iris and Cilan to grab before the ground gave up on them. Cilan had to grab Ash's Pikachu before it jumped in after his trainer.

"PIKA PI!"

"Pikachu, calm down! There's nothing you can do for Ash now!" Cilan told the yellow mouse as he struggled to break out of Cilan's grip.

Pikachu threatened to electrocute the green haired trainer but eventually gave up upon seeing that the Bouffalant stopped the earthquake and changed the location of where they would be stampeding.

With the Bouffalant gone though, the cracks in the earth didn't get any wider but that was no longer the issue once Cilan and Iris got down from the tree.

"This is awful! Those Bouffalant are going to attack the next town…" Cilan muttered.

"But we can't leave Ash and Trip down there!" Iris exclaimed. "They could be…"

Cilan shook his head. "It might be a long way down, but I'm certain that those two will be okay. Especially Trip…if he's with Ash, then we don't have to worry about a thing. He doesn't seem like the type of person to die easily."

"But…"

"We have to warn the townspeople about this." Cilan continued. "If we can get the Bouffalant under control then we can come back here and help them out."

Iris and Pikachu weren't convinced by Cilan's rationalization about the situation. However, Pikachu knew better than anyone that his trainer could survive a fall like this if he has been put in worse situations before.

"Pika pi…"

* * *

" _Amanda! Amanda! Look at this!" shouted a child that looked no older than five years old with huge gray eyes and a huge grin on his face._

" _Alright Trip, I'll be right there."_

_A young girl hurried over to the little kid. She looked to be sixteen years old; she had short orange hair and beautiful green eyes. She wore a rather feminine dress that hid most of her skinny legs. With the dress shoes she wore though, it took longer for her to reach the little boy._

" _What is it Trip?"_

_The little boy pointed to an electronic contraption that was held as the grand prize for whoever won the minigame at the stand. It was the latest camera brand that was apparently a Kodak camera._

" _They're…giving it away?" Amanda asked the younger boy._

_"Yep! Can you win it for me Amanda?"_

_Amanda frowned. The type of minigame was a shooter. She wasn't good at using a fake gun to break all the targets._

_"I don't know…"_

" _You can do it Amanda! You're amazing! Just like Alder!"_

_The orange haired teen sighed in defeat. How could she say no to that when she was compared to the Champion?_

_The man at the counter apparently recognized her though. "Oh, it's the winner of the Sinnoh Frontier! Want to take a round? Tell you what, because you beat all the Frontier Brains, I'll let you have one free chance."_

_Both Amanda and Trip smiled brightly as they both exchanged happy glances._

" _Of course I'll do it!"_

_The man handed Amanda the pop gun. Amanda needed to remember how her boyfriend Porter used one at other festivals like this one. She only had to break all the targets with the ammo she had._

_As she fired the gun, a crowd started to gather. Trip just kept cheering for his female idol though. She was just as cool as Alder with how she wasn't missing her target. The man was surprised that she managed to hit all the targets in order to win the camera._

" _Hey…you won! Good job Champ!"_

_Amanda was surprised that she even won. She happily accepted the camera that was given to her as a prize. She then gave the green camera to the little boy._

_"Here you go."_

_Trip's eyes widened. Amanda wondered how big they could get as he snatched the camera from her with a dopey grin on his face._

" _Thank you Amanda!"_

_Amanda smiled. "Don't mention it. Now let's go and wait for Porter."_

_Trip nodded his head as he rushed ahead of her to the spot where her boyfriend was supposed to meet up at: A single lamppost that stood out in Driftveil city. Amanda slowly walked over to where that location was. However, she should have stayed where she was._

" _EVERYONE! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"_

_Suddenly, the happy atmosphere was destroyed almost instantly. People were screaming as a herd of Bouffalant stampeded through the crowd and destroyed everything in sight. People dove out of the way to avoid being trampled by their powerful legs._

_As people moved out of the way, Trip didn't move. His legs were frozen in place. Why wouldn't they move? He just had to step aside so he wouldn't get caught yet…_

" _TRIP LOOK OUT!"_

_Everything moved in slow motion. Amanda threw herself in front of Trip since she didn't have time to do anything else. As she grabbed the boy and shielded him with her bear hug, the rampaging Bouffalant trampled them both…and they didn't stop. Trip blacked out temporary but when he woke up, everything was over. People were still screaming but he was still trying to grasp what was going on._

" _GET AN AMBULANCE!"_

" _WHERE'S NURSE JOY?"_

_Trip's eyes widened in horror when he realized what just happened. The body above him wasn't moving…and she was covered in blood. Her legs were disfigured and there were many hooves markings on her back. He could hear Porter screaming his girlfriend's name._

_It didn't take a genius to realize that he killed the one person that was family. He felt like fainting again but he kept hearing a voice trying to get him to wake up. It sounded vaguely familiar._

" _Trip, wake up! Trip!"_

* * *

Trip slowly opened his eyes. He could vaguely make out the face that was looking down on him worried.

"Trip!"

"…Ash…?"

Ash's smile made him realize that he was still alive. What he just had a flashback of was only a dream…

 _A dream where I sent her to the hospital._ Trip thought bitterly to himself as he tried to sit up. Ash kept telling him to stay where he was because he was injured. He didn't listen and flinched slightly.

"Trip, don't move. You took a heavy blow." Ash tried to explain to him.

The photographer tried to observe his surroundings. They were obviously in a dark cave with a lot of rocks and almost no light. Just his day…

"What…happened…?"

"You tried to help me when those Bouffalant attacked. We fell through a crack in the earth." Ash chuckled as he continued. "I don't know how we're still alive after a fall like that but I'm glad you're not dead."

"Maybe it would have been better if I died…" Trip muttered to himself darkly.

"Hmm?"

"…Nothing…let's just try to find a way out of this place. I'm already sick of seeing your face."

Ash seemed hurt by this statement but didn't try to help the younger trainer up, as he didn't want it. The Kanto trainer didn't have any injuries whatsoever but that may be because Ash was so use to these types of situations happening and have developed a body of iron that could survive anything. While trying to steady himself, he felt this enormous pain in his ankle and ended up falling to his knees.

"! Trip, are you okay?"

The photographer shook his head. "…My ankle might be broken…"

"Which one?"

"The right one…"

"Let me see it."

Trip didn't want Ash touching him. When he tried to roll his pant leg up, he slapped Ash's hand away almost instantly.

"Don't touch me!"

Ash frowned. "This isn't the time for that."

The older trainer persisted as he rolled up Trip's pant leg and felt the bone in that area. A small yelp in pain caused Ash to realize how serious it was.

 _Just like that time with Misty._  Ash thought to himself as he already knew what to do. "It can't be helped. I'll have to carry you out."

"Wait…what?...!"

Trip gasped as he felt Ash lifting him off the ground. He didn't expect Ash to be that strong because of his scrawny appearance but maybe after all the training he's been through, it shouldn't have had come off as a surprise.

"W-What are you doing?"

Ash let out a dopey grin as he simply said. "If you can't walk I'll just carry you until we get out."

The photographer felt his entire body warming up. He shook his head at the suggestion. "N-No way! I won't let you carry me like this!"

Ash frowned again at the younger trainer being too difficult. "Then how do you expect I carry you then?"

"I would rather not have you carry me at all!" He shouted.

Ash already started walking as he continued to complain. What was wrong with him carrying him bridal style? He was lighter than Misty for one thing and she didn't have a problem with it at all.

"So I'm supposed to drop you and leave you to rot in this cave? That's something I could never do to a friend."

"We're not even friends…"

Ash sighed as he was thinking of just dropping the younger trainer. However, he allowed Trip to rest on a nearby rock before facing away from him and putting his hands out behind him.

"Get on my back. If you don't want me carrying you that way, I'll just give you a piggyback."

The gray-eyed trainer was still blushing at the suggestion. "That's…just as embarrassing…"

Even though he said that, he slowly hopped onto Ash's back as he lifted him up. Ash then proceeded down the dark cave.

There was silence between the two but the entire area wasn't completely devoid of life. Water droplets could be heard from the top of the cave as it dripped down onto the rocks.

Trip hadn't had a piggyback in such a long time. The last time he had one was when Amanda was still with him. Not even his parents would show this much affection for their own son that wanted his parent's attention back then but…

"Hey Trip, do you eat a lot?" Ash asked out of the blue. "Because you're really,  _ **really**_  light."

"…"

"What? Was I not supposed to ask? I mean, I know I'm not supposed to mention how a girl weighs because they're sensitive to that stuff."

"…Are you telling me that you have asked about a girl's weight before?"

"Uh…"

"You really are an idiot. Is everyone from the Kanto region that insensitive?"

"-red vein- Is everyone from the Unova region so childish?"

"What did you just say?"

Ash got such a powerful reaction from him that he almost lost his balance.

"We're even Trip, so stop or I'll drop you right now."

"…"

The silence continued again as Ash kept pushing forward. Trip couldn't see what was up ahead with Ash's trademark hat in the way. Maybe he should just let Ash handle everything so if he messed up, he could blame the older trainer for not knowing the basics of getting out of the cave.

"Thank you Trip."

"? What for?"

"You saved me back there. I think my landing was softer because of you."

"…Don't get me wrong. I only did it because you were trying to show off back there."

Ash couldn't see the expression that Trip wore but he thought it would be another cute expression. Wait…

"When this is all said and done, we still have to battle."

"You still want one after all of that?" Trip questioned in disbelief. "I would think that scolding your Scraggy would be the number one priority."

"…Uh…yeah…"

"Honesty, a trainer that can't get their Pokémon to stay in one place to negotiate is such an amateur."

"H-Hey!"

Even though Ash started babbling about how he wasn't an amateur, Trip wasn't listening. In fact, the reason Ash stopped talking was because he actually heard Trip laugh. Most of his rivals were grouchy so he didn't expect a genuine laugh from another grouchy person.

"Hey…what's so funny?"

"You."

"What?"

"You're so interesting. You remind me of someone when I was younger…"

"…Was he that much of an idiot?"

He shook his head. "No, she was perfect unlike you."

Ash felt his pride go out the window again but that always happened when he spoke to Trip who lectured him on the basics that he knew often.

"Is she a trainer? If she is, I want to challenge her." Ash declared.

Trip suddenly got silent again. "That's not possible…"

"Huh? Why?"

"…She's not here anymore…"

"What do you mean? Is she traveling in another region or-"

"…"

Ash realized that he almost crossed into territory he shouldn't go into and dropped the subject almost instantly. It became quiet again except the noise of little pebbles falling from the ceiling of the cave. Trip started to speak again.

"It's funny…the Bouffalant that chased us…I could have sworn they were the same ones from that time…"

"Huh?"

"…"

Ash didn't ask anymore though because there was something shining in his face. There was apparently light at the end of the tunnel.

"Alright! We're getting out of here!"

Without warning, he picked up the speed forcing Trip to cling to the other's shoulder. Rushing out of the cave, the two found themselves in another cave only instead of absolute darkness, they were greeted by light. The light came from the rocks that shined like gold in the area. Actually, it looked like they were in a place of ancient ruins.

"This is…"

"Hmm?"

"This is part of the Relic Castle…"

"Relic Castle?"

"…It's the castle that can be found in the Desert Resort. You went there with the Professor, remember?"

Ash tried to forget that. That experience of meeting Team Plasma for the first time wasn't good. Those hypocrites were more destructive than any other team he's encountered.

The photographer saw something and gasped. Almost instantly, he let go of Ash to try and get something out of his pocket. Ash reacted fast to make sure he didn't fall off his back. The consequence to that though was both of them toppling over with Trip pulling out his camera.

"And here I thought this thing would break…"

"My back is the only thing broken…" Ash muttered as he tried but failed to get back up to support them both.

Trip got out his camera though was because there were Pokémon here too along with the relics. When Ash looked up, he could see little larvae Pokémon that were crawling on the walls and working their way up to the top of the golden cave. With them was a huge fire month that was already flying up to the top but couldn't go any farther because of rocks being in the way.

"What are they?" Ash asked as he took his Pokédex out despite being in that awkward position.

_**Larvesta, the torch Pokémon. These Pokémon are believed to have been born from the sun. When it evolves, its entire body is engulfed in flames. The base of volcanoes is where they make their homes. They shoot fire from their five horns to repel attacking enemies.** _

Ash then pointed his Pokédex at the huge month.

_**Volcarona, the sun Pokémon. A sea of fire engulfs the surroundings of their battles, since they use their six wings to scatter their ember scales. When volcanic ash darkened the atmosphere, it is said that Volcarona's fire provided a replacement for the sun.** _

"Larvesta and Volcarona huh?" Ash wondered out loud. "If they're supposed to live in a volcano like region, what are they doing here?"

"Who cares? You know how hard it is to find one in the wild much less find a swarm of them?" Trip asked him as he was trying to steady his camera.

Ash glared at him as he had to push Trip off to get back up. The younger trainer wasn't expecting Ash to do that so he almost dropped his camera.

"Are you trying to mess me up?"

"Well sorry! I can't do much if you're on my back."

"…"

Ash stood up again to stretch a little before seeing what the Pokémon were trying to do. They really were trying to get out of the small cave. Looking around the area though, the food that they were feasting on was apparently gone and they were trying to get out into the world to search for food and get back to their habitat. However…

"There are no volcanoes in Unova." Trip explained as he prepared to take a picture. "They're only in the Hoenn region."

"There's one in Cinnabar Island back at home too!"

"No one cares about your region."

"-red vein- What?"

"The Hoenn region is closer to the Unova region than the Kanto region. They have to fly twice as far to get to where they need to be."

"….."

"There wings are beautiful." Trip changed the subject because he felt like he didn't have to explain himself anymore about the regions. "But it looks like these Pokémon are at their limit."

"Then we should do our best to help them!"

Trip shook his head. "That wouldn't be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"There is a reason why there aren't so many of them in the wild. They hate humans."

"But we're going to help them, so…"

The photographer did not want Ash to get himself killed after what just happened but it was already too late when Ash rushed in their direction.

"Hey!"

"Idiot, you're going to get yourself-"

It was too late, Ash was already starting to run up to them. "Hey! Do you guys need any help getting out?"

Instantly, their attention turned to the human. This human shouldn't even be in the cave that was inhabited by the bug Pokémon only. The Larvesta were preparing a fire attack on the teen.

"Ash, get out of the way!"

The Kanto trainer did see the Larvesta launch a weak ember his way. Ash was fast enough to dodge the attack but he became upset when he did. "Hey! Why are you attacking me? We just want to help!"

"Ash, they don't want your help!" Trip tried to warn him again.

The Larvesta took notice to Trip as well. The photographer already had a Pokémon ready to fight them if they decided to take their anger out on him.

The Larvesta prepared to fire another ember attack. Ash was ready though as he rushed in front of Trip to make sure they didn't get any funny ideas.

"We mean no harm! We're just like you! We fell from above and have no way of getting out! Please, let us help you guys!"

The Larvesta unleashed another ember forcing Trip to send out his Pokémon.

"Frillish, use bubble beam!"

Trip's blue jellyfish emerged from his Pokémon and fired a jet stream of bubbles from his mouth cancelling the fire attacks. The horns began to glow a bright red ready to launch a more powerful fire attack. Trip was willing to defend the both of them if things got out of hand.

"Stop it Trip! They won't listen if you attack them."

It was like the time with the Venipede. Ash would rather speak to them calmly rather than attack them all and get the hell out of there. The photographer didn't understand why his life needed to be in jeopardy in order to achieve that. He glared at the older trainer and looked away. "Do what you want…"

Ash turned his attention back to the Larvesta. "Larvesta, tell Volcarona that we mean no harm. We're in the same boat as you and want to get out of here!"

The Larvesta didn't care that Ash was trying to negotiate with them for the better good. Humans were a threat in their eyes and they were going to eliminate the threat. As they began to prepare another attack the Volcarona that was trying to destroy the ceiling did manage to crack a whole in it, but the result was a rockslide. The Volcarona was too slow to move out of the way. Ash quickly threw a Pokéball out.

"Oshawott, knock those rocks away with water gun!" He ordered.

The little otter Pokémon emerged from his Pokéball and quickly blasted water from his mouth. The rocks didn't stand a chance and were shattered instantly.

"Good job Oshawott." The raven-haired teen praised.

Oshawott pounded his chest to triumph. "Osha-oshawott!"

The Larvesta were still not convinced that Ash was on their side and unleashed an attack called bug buzz that affected the area. Anything that wasn't a bug was forced to cover their ears at the siren like sound.

"They're not convinced Ash…" Trip told Ash again.

"Not yet, they have to believe us. They just got too!"

Ash pointed in their direction. Ignoring the red sound waves that flooded the area, he pointed toward the ceiling. "Oshawott, use aqua jet where the hole is."

Oshawott had a hard time obeying his trainer as he too was covering his ears. Slowly, he coated himself with water and launched himself at the hole. The Larvesta didn't think that Ash would strike when they were attacking and stopped in order to get out of the way. Volcarona watched as Oshawott hit the small hole causing more rocks to fall.

"Ash, what are you planning?"

"If they won't listen to us, we'll just have to get them out by force!"

"…I don't think that will work…but…" He turned to his Frillish, "use night shade!"

Frillish's eyes became surrounded in a purple aura. The aura was then replaced with a bright pink glow. When that happened, Frillish's body glowed a pale pink. The jellyfish Pokémon then held out his tentacles and waves both of them up and down in a fast-paced hypnotic pattern resulting in the release of multiple pink rings around his body. Nightshade's rays hit more rocks that were coming down on the bug Pokémon and shattered them into smaller pebbles instantly.

"Way to go Trip!"

"…We're not done yet."

"I know but…"

The Larvesta still wanted to attack the two trainers. However, their leader decided to focus on the bigger issue, which was getting out of there. Flapping its wings repeatedly, it unleashed a powerful windstorm that engulfed the area. Oshawott was almost blown away but Ash managed to return him to his Pokéball before it happened. Trip returned his Frillish before he too became a victim of the attack. All the other Larvesta braced them from the powerful attack. Hurricane was strong enough to create a bigger hole in the ceiling that allowed the debris to be caught in the middle of the windstorm.

When the attack was done though, sunshine shined down in the dark cave of the Relic Castle. Ash's eyes sparkled when he saw the sunlight.

"We can get out now Trip!" Ash cheered.

"If they'll let us…"

The Larvesta's horns were glowing again but the Volcarona caught their attention. If the two trainers could understand Pokémon speech, then they would learn that Volcarona ordered them to not attack the two humans. Their horns went back to their original corner as they backed off.

The Volcarona acknowledged the two humans below them as it flew closer to them. Ash just smirked as he turned toward Trip. "See? Kindness does earn respect."

Trip couldn't believe something that big would actually order its army not to harm them. "I can't believe it…"

Ash being the idiot he was tried to pet the fire bug. To his surprise, the Volcarona allowed Ash to hop on its back. Ash continued to grin. "Hey Trip, it's going to get us out of here!"

"Finally…"

Ash jumped off the Pokémon in order to help Trip onto the Volcarona. He then jumped on shortly afterwards.

"Don't let go, okay?"

Trip's cheeks started to turn hot pink when he felt the older male wrap his arms around his waist. While this would be a normal gesture to anyone that was riding a Pokémon that was big enough to carry two people, the photographer was not use to someone hugging him.

"A-Ash…uh…"

"Hmm? Something wrong Trip?"

"Not really…"

"Good, then let's get the hell out of here!"

When he said that, the Volcarona spread its wings and took off. The Larvesta followed by using string shot to attach themselves to Volcarona. They may have looked light but they were rather heavy for a bug Pokémon. However, Volcarona was a very powerful Pokémon and could carry them if they dangled on this boss by using string shot.

Trip did not to look down originally. Volcarona was a fast bug Pokémon but that might have been because it wanted to get out of the cave for so long. Seeing the sunlight made the firebugs stronger than ever. Ash looked up toward the sun but had to shield his eyes to avoid being blinded.

"Trip now would be a good time to take a picture." Ash told him.

The photographer still didn't want to open his eyes and look down since they were probably high up. However, when he peaked, he saw what was considered the most beautiful thing in his life.

The Volcarona they were riding was spreading pollen from its wings making it look like there was glitter in the air. Many of the Larvesta detached themselves from their boss because they were quickly evolving. Many of them were spreading their wings out wide as they hatched from their larva egg and became a month like Pokémon.

 _It's…perfect!_  Trip thought to himself as he tried to reach for his camera but realized that if he did, then he would let go.

Ash handed him his camera though. "Here."

"..."

Trip snatched it from him and snapped the shots when the Larvesta were in the middle and end of their evolution and flying with their pack. Since the Volcarona they were on was flying above them all, looking down from a bird's eye view was the best shot one could ever ask for. He was so absorbed in taking the pictures that he let go and almost fell off. Ash caught him though and held him tighter than ever in which Trip did not notice until he got all the pictures he could take on one film.

"Perfect."

"Like you…"

Trip turned to Ash quickly thinking he heard him wrong. Ash's cheeks were flustered but he shook his head rapidly. "I-I didn't say anything!"

"…You're so strange…but maybe that's the best part about you."

The two could do nothing but gaze into each other's eyes with their compliments were given. Ash usually blushed when he was given a comment every now and then but this was different. His heart was thumping at the comment. If Ash thought he was having it bad, Trip had it worse. His entire body felt like it was on fire when those words came out.

"Trip…I…"

Whatever Ash was going to blurt out, he would never do that when the Volcarona they were on started to fly to the city closest to them at high speed. The two had to grab onto the Pokémon so they wouldn't fall off it.

"What the? Volcarona! What are you doing? Hey!"

The fire Pokémon was attracted to whatever was going on in the town and were flying there to stop it.

* * *

Cilan and Iris made it to the town faster than the Bouffalant could stampede into it. They quickly tried to get the attention of trainers that were there. No one would believe them though for whatever reason. It pissed Iris off that they didn't take them seriously because they were "kids" that were just trying to start a panic.

Nurse Joy did believe them to a certain extent. However, Officer Jenny wasn't convinced. If they couldn't get this policewoman to help them, then this town was doomed.

"But Officer Jenny, we're not lying!" Iris shouted. "Our friends fell through the earth and now the Bouffalant are coming to attack this town!"

"Pi! Pikachu!"

"We would appreciate it if you warned everyone here." Cilan added in a calm voice but he too was panicking on the inside because those angered Pokémon were near.

The police officer shook her head. "I would like to believe you but I find it hard to believe that the Bouffalant that belonged to the circus troupe here would allow them to go on a rampage in the town."

"But…"

"If you're going to keep lying to me, then I'm afraid you're going to have to find someone else."

The two were getting discouraged with how uncooperative Jenny was. If it was another Jenny, then she might have listened to them but this just happened to be a Jenny that didn't want to listen at all.

"Officer Jenny, you seriously can't believe that those Bouffalant would go on a rampage again, do you?" Came another voice.

The two trainers turned around to see who was supporting them. It was a girl that looked to be sixteen with huge brown hair that was tied in a ponytail and blue eyes. She wore short shorts and short sleeves. Her chest size was rather small despite how old she looked. She had this determined look in her eyes. Cilan almost recognized her instantly.

"You…" Jenny didn't seem pleased to see her again.

"I told you before that the circus troupe in town couldn't be trusted with those Bouffalant. I even showed you the newspaper from six years ago about that incident in Driftveil! These Bouffalant went crazy and someone  _ **actually died**_ from that accident! You can't hide the fact that they're dangerous Pokémon when left alone without any supervision! Either you do us all a favor and get the people to evacuate or help me out control them because I'm not letting a tragedy like this happen again. A tragedy that could have been avoided if your sister did her fucking job!"

The f bomb was thrown around but it was proven affected when this girl said it. Iris was impressed by how tough this girl was. Cilan mumbled her name though.

"Whitlea…!"

She looked over her shoulder and recognized the man with green hair. She gasped. "Cilan, is that you?"

"It's been a while Whitlea."

"? Whose this?" Iris asked suddenly feeling a surge of jealously pulse through her veins.

"I'm just a trainer that beat his brother Cress at the Striation Gym last year. The name's Whitlea but everyone calls me White. I'm surprised that you're not at the gym."

"Well, it's a long story short but I'm traveling with two other people."

She noticed Iris and waved. "Oh, so is this your girlfriend?"

Both were surprised at the assumption but only Iris retaliated. "N-No! You got it all wrong! We're not like that!"

Whitlea smirked. "So there's hope for me then Cilan?"

"Wha-"

"Just kidding! I have someone on my mind anyway." Her expression got serious again. "Anyway, why are you two here? You said something about traveling with two people but I only see one."

Cilan nodded. "Yeah. We got separated because of the Bouffalant and they're heading to this town as we speak!"

She turned to Officer Jenny. "You heard the man! There are Bouffalant coming and you're just going to sit here and do nothing."

The policewoman frowned. Now that she knew that Cilan was a gym leader from their conversation, she couldn't say he was lying anymore.

"Then again, I could just handle it with my Pokémon but your sisters are already pissed off at me doing that in other areas already so-"

"Alright! I'll order an evacuation and I'll let you use your Pokémon, but if you destroy something, you are paying for it!"

Whitlea pumped her fist in the air. "Yes! Does that mean I don't have to pay for the other damage I did in-"

"Absolutely. You'll be off the hook here and that's it. If you try to skip out, we will catch you."

Whitlea chuckled nervously as she turned to the other two trainers. "Uh…please help me out when we're done, 'kay?"

Cilan was the next one to give a nervous laugh. He remembered how Whitlea skipped on the bill when she was in their restaurant. She still hasn't paid them back.

"We'll see how well you do here."

* * *

The Bouffalant were almost to the city. Officer Jenny didn't have time to evacuate the citizens so Whitlea would have to use that Pokémon again despite the fact that he was very destructive. She threw the Pokéball out in the air and out came a huge Dragonite.

"Let's go Sora! We need to stop the stampede!"

Dragonite let out a battle cry as it stared downs the Bouffalant that were coming through the entrance. Iris and Cilan were too busy admiring the size of the orange dragon to notice how fast the buffalo Pokémon were moving.

"Use ice beam!"

Sora's mouth began to glow a bright light blue colored as it shot a powerful ice beam from his mouth. The ice instantly created a blockade that stopped the Bouffalant in their tracks but only temporary. They proceeded to break down the ice with their head.

"Alright, now use hurricane!"

Sora did not obey though. He looked at his trainer like she was crazy. Cilan had an idea why it wouldn't attack though.

"Whitlea, do you know the size of your Pokémon?"

"Yeah, why?"

"If you use that attack, then the forest will be blown away too!"

"But it's not the city!"

Iris glared at her. "You're missing the point! You're such a kid!"

The tomboy didn't like how she was called a kid but decided to use a different move. "Alright then Sora, try using thunderbolt instead."

Lightning was starting to generate on the two horns of his head as he fired it at the Bouffalant managing a direct hit on many of them. The ones that weren't hit were more infuriated and started ramming the ice to get into the city.

"If they still get up, then I'll use-"

She was interrupted when Cilan shouted. "Look up!" Above them, they could see the rare Pokémon known as Volcarona flying above the city. Many of them were flapping their wings rapidly in order to use silver wind on their target below. The Bouffalant were actually affected by their appearance and started to retreat. However, since there were more Volcarona than they expected as well as some Larvesta that did not evolve, they used string shot to capture all the Bouffalant and wrap them up.

"Amazing…" Cilan stated. "I had no idea that there were Volcarona around here."

"What do you mean?" Iris asked.

"They're very rare Pokémon." Whitlea explained. "They never show themselves in the wild." She smirked. "This is my chance to catch one~"

Iris was going to shout at her to not do such a thing after what they're doing now when they all heard someone shouting. The voice was too familiar for Iris and Cilan.

"HEY! IRIS! CILAN! PIKACHU!"

"PIKA PI!"

Ash was already starting to wave at them with both arms. His balance was terrible as a result and he almost fell off the Volcarona he and Trip were on. The photographer had to reach out and grab him before that happened though. Whitlea noticed the young trainer and her eyes widened.

"TRIP!"

The blonde was stunned to see a familiar upbeat trainer. "Whitlea?"

"Hey Volcarona, can you land right next to the Dragonite? Our friends are down there."

The fire Pokémon obeyed as it slowly started to descend after the Bouffalant were rounded up. The circus crew that owned them ran out to return them to their Pokéballs. As Volcarona landed, a small rack instantly met Trip.

"Trip! You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend! You got one before me!"

Ash was confused at the accusation but Trip instantly blushed and pushed her away. "N-No way! There's no way I'd like an idiot like him!"

"Who are you calling an idiot?"

"You. Who else here is an idiot?"

Whitlea just smirked. "Denial huh? Well, I see how it is."

Pikachu saw his trainer and jumped on his shoulder to get his attention. Instantly, Ash was no longer provoked by being called an idiot and smiled at his Pokémon. "Sorry, I worried you." He turned to Iris and Cilan. "See, everything turned out okay."

Iris shook her head in annoyance. "I don't know how you two could survive a fall like that, but maybe that's a good thing."

"Yeah…" He turned to Trip. "So…who is she?"

"She's Whitlea." Trip said simply as he had a hard time trying to balance himself because of his sprained ankle. "She was a trainer that started her journey last year with two other guys."

"Blair and Cheren." Whitlea corrected. "We went our separate ways once we made it to Nimbasa…but…"

"You didn't participate in last year's competition."

"…I was busy…"

"Running from the cops?"

"Oh shut it!" She shouted as she smacked him lightly on the back. However, Whitlea was stronger your average trainer and she ended up knocking him forward since Trip couldn't keep his balance.

"…Oops…"

Ash immediately helped the younger trainer up. "You still can't walk so let me…"

"No, just lend me your shoulder."

"…"

Officer Jenny finished rounding up the Bouffalant as the circus trope members returned them all to their Pokéball. When they were done, the Volcarona flew away including the one that helped Ash and Trip out. The two thanked it before it flew away in the direction of the Hoenn region. Whitlea then returned her Dragonite to her Pokéball. The circus crew apologized to Ash and the gang for their crazy Bouffalant.

"This happened six years ago…" The ringmaster admitted, "and we try to keep them away from civilization to prevent that incident from happening again…"

"Well, it was averted so no worries." Whitlea said with a grin.

"What was the incident?" Ash asked.

Trip paled, as it was apparent that Cilan and Whitlea would go into the details. Iris was just as clueless as Ash though concerning the incident.

"Not much is known about the incident," Cilan began, "but it was all over the news in Unova. The Bouffalant that chased us were on a rampage six years ago. One person was killed…and she apparently just became the Unova League champion before the accident."

"So it was on the news because she had just recently won…" Iris stated what was just said.

"Yes, and it was only over the news because there was a huge conspiracy going around." Whitlea added as she turned to the ringmaster. "Are you certain it was an accident?"

"Yes…" He said. "Our Bouffalant back then were never provoked into anything, so…"

"It wasn't an accident!" Trip ended up shouting. "Someone caused them to go crazy! It wasn't just a thing out of the blue!"

The ringmaster flinched instantly when he saw who it was. "Aren't you…"

Whitlea gave the younger trainer a worried glance. "No, he isn't."

The ringmaster realized that this was a sore subject and stopped questioning the photographer after that.

"In the end," Whitlea finished, "the only people that were blamed were this circus troupe here and the family that was accused of provoking the rampage…not like it really affected them."

Trip stayed silent at the last part not wanting to have any more outbursts. The ringmaster apologized again to the police as well as Ash and his friends for their Pokémon attacking them before leaving the city to head straight to Nimbasa.

* * *

Whitlea sighed as everything settled down. The deadline for the photography contest was almost up and Trip was still trying to decide what picture he wanted to submit. Before he could do that though, Ash and co forced Trip to go straight to the Pokémon Center to do something about that leg. Nurse Joy and her Audino were capable of treating their Pokémon as well as human injuries. Healing Pulse was enough to stop the leg from aching but the leg was wrapped around a cast just for precautions.

Whitlea took the camera and began looking for the pictures. She was amazed at how much better Trip had gotten at taking pictures.

"Hey, you should choose this one!" Whitlea stated as she pointed to the picture of the Volcarona evolving. "You don't get a picture like that everyday!"

"I was going to…" Trip muttered as he waited for beep of the Pokémon Center to ring to signify that his Frillish would be okay.

The beep chimed and Nurse Joy came out with her Audino and the Pokéballs.

"Ash, your Oshawott will be okay. The same can be said for your Frillish Trip."

The Kanto trainer smiled as he got both of the Pokéballs and handed it to the younger trainer. "Isn't that great Trip?"

"I guess. Don't do something so reckless again."

"Says you who would do anything for a good photo."

Trip sighed as he asked Whitlea to develop the pictures for him.

"Can do! I'll be back in a few minutes but I want money for doing this~"

Trip scowled at her as she ran out of the Pokémon Center. Of course she would ask for money but would she really pay for the damage she has done in the past?

She came back with all the photos developed. Instead of giving the pictures to Trip she gave them to Ash.

"Some of these pictures are so cute~"

"H-Hey! Give them back!"

The group enjoyed looking at the pictures that Trip has taken on his journey so far. The camera he had more memory than the average camera and stored up to at least 500 shots. Indeed Trip has met many trainers and he still had pictures of Ash and the group when he encountered. Trip kept shouting that he hadn't had the time to delete them if they were still on there. Whitlea pulled out the picture that Trip would be submitting though. She left with it of course because she was planning to give him the Dusk Stone.

"Oh! Whose this?" Iris asked as she pointed to a picture that had been on the camera for a long time. When Whitlea got the pictured developed, she got all the pictures. However, they could tell it was old because Trip looked younger in the picture. It was a picture of him with an older woman that looked to be sixteen. She was with two other trainers that looked to be her age. One was a girl with long blue hair and the other was a guy with short brown hair. He had his arms around the girl with orange hair so the assumption was the two were lovers. The girl with the blue hair had bunny ears above Trip and the girl with the orange hair had her arms wrapped around a younger Trip who was smiling widely at the camera.

"D-Don't look at it!" He shouted as he snatched the picture in a blink of an eye. His cheeks were all flustered.

Iris smirked when he took it away. "Oh, Trip likes older woman. I see you're trying not to be a kid!"

"S-Shut up!"

"We won't tell anyone." Cilan said with a smile. "In fact, I think I know who these people are anyway."

"Really? Who?" Ash asked confused as he ended up taking the picture back to Trip's shock.

"The girl with the blue hair is Linda. She is a Pokémon Connoisseur like me. She's an S class now."

Trip nodded his head slowly but didn't seem happy with that.

"Really? Then who's the guy?"

The green haired gym leader laughed nervously. "I have no idea…"

"Porter," Trip answered. "He came in third place in the Unova League. He's now traveling to complete the Pokédex."

"Really? And who's the other girl?" Ash asked.

Ash stepped on a landmine and everyone knew that when the mood in the Pokémon Center dampened.

"Her name…is Amanda…" He finally said. "She is the person…that won the Unova League…and died in that accident shortly afterward."

The mood was stiff after that. Nothing could be said to cheer the blonde up whose mood darkened just by speaking her name. He took the picture back from Ash without saying anymore. The Kanto Trainer realized that this was the trainer he was talking about when they were in the cave. Everything started to add up…

"I'm back!" Whitlea announced as she barged into the Pokémon Center with the Dusk Stone. "You won instantly Trip! You're the best!"

The group tried to smile but it was hard after getting the explanation that the Unova League Champion was killed. Whitlea noticed the tension and frowned. "Are you all stunned into silence? Trip's photo taking skills are the best!"

"Of course they are." Trip replied with a smirk as he took his prize. "It's basic for someone like me."

Trip said that with confidence but his eyes did not project the same image. Ash feared that he dug his grave by asking about her. Trip didn't seem ready to talk about her.

"It's getting late." Whitlea said as she looked outside, "I better head out now before I get tired."

"Aren't you staying here?" Cilan asked. "It's dangerous to go out this late."

It was Whitlea's turn to smile sadly. "Sorry…but there's this guy I met recently and I have the urge to chase after him like Blair is now."

"Who?"

"It's a secret…but I'm sure you guys will cross paths with him soon…"

She waved as she ran off into the night. However the minute she did, Officer Jenny's voice could be heard.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE AND PAY FOR THE DAMAGE YOU DONE!"

The group all had a sweatdrop at the back of their head. With all the crazy events that happened today though, it was good to end it with a night like this. Ash felt like he needed to question more things about Trip's past but now was not the time. He prayed that there would be a day where Trip will tell them more than just the basics.

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Done with 10450 words. Notes!
> 
> 1\. I'm disappointed that Ash's Scraggy is really weak in comparison to his Phanapy that was insanely powerful. While it's more realistic that a baby Pokémon is weak, Ash never scolds him especially in episode 35 where it got all the other Pokémon in deep shit that is why he's the reason that causes the conflict again.
> 
> 2\. At the beginning of the story, Trip uses simple words like "sending her to the hospital" instead of saying that she died, which he finally does at the end of the story mainly because the secret's out. This is because Trip is still in denial that Amanda is dead hence why he avoids the word death. At the end, because of Whitlea technically telling everyone specifically that she died in the accident, Trip just gave up and admitted that she was dead. 
> 
> 3\. Now I know its strange for there to be a swarm of Volcarona and its dangerous for this and Larvesta to be in the same area because of how hot their flames get. However, you can only get one Larvesta from the egg on route 18 and capture the other Volcarona in the chamber when you have to find one of the Seven Sages. However I made the chamber you go into in the Desert Resort area have more caves because of the maze that was at the bottom to begin with…I hated that maze…but yeah…since the group is still technically on route 4, I just decided that I would have the hole in the ground that Ash and Trip fall into connect to the chamber.
> 
> 4\. I chose the name Whitlea over Hilda because I HATE that name. Her name would have been Whitlea but they changed it at the last minute. If they kept Blair for Black and Whitlea for White, there would be a huge pun in their name but no! They had to use shitty names! 
> 
> 5\. Whitlea's overall character is technically how I want her to be. If you read the manga, you know that the author made her a sexist character. For one thing, she doesn't know how to battle like the other main characters despite her appearance saying so, she complains way too much and the first thing she does when there is a problem whether it's a Pokémon attack or a battle, she screams…that…rubs a lot of people the wrong way. How the fans see her though, she's a tomboy that is known for being badass but on the negative side, she tends to be the dumb one compared to Blair as she's not good with books (which is also shown in the manga but that's another unfortunate implication). When I write the female protagonist, she will be a tomboy that is very loud and rather destructive but she's good-natured and is a big sister archetype to many characters. If she were ever to battle, she'll be kind of crazy when it comes to it but she'll be badass regardless.
> 
> 6\. In this story and probably for the rest of them concerning Whitlea, I'll have her be attracted to N. The reason why Ash hasn't met N is mainly because the speech in Accumula Town already happened and N is just traveling the world still trying to awaken Reshiram. The reason it's Reshiram because concerning Blair, Whitlea and N, the story is like this. N meets all three of them but only challenges Blair because he's the one that interests him. N is more obsessed with Blair because he's considered different when compared to Whitlea. However, the way I portray Whitlea is that she's reckless and when concerning her starter, she didn't want Tepig because Snivy was the first choice…as a result, her bond with her starter isn't as strong as Blair who chooses in Oshawott. Now Whitlea is obsessed with chasing N because she thinks he's attractive and interesting. She is the one that battles N the second battle but both she and Blair find out he's a member of Team Plasma and only after the fourth encounter do they lose sight of him because he has not been able to find the dragon yet. So in this story, Whitlea is searching for him on the bottom routes while Blair is searching for him in the top routes. Whitlea is competing for N's affection but I'll state this right now. It's only one sided and because I love Isshushipping more than Ferriswheelshipping, if Blair shows up with N, it's because I support Blair/N over N/Whitlea. Also, Whitlea doesn't mention Bianca because no one asked and mainly because there's no room to mention her in this story.
> 
> 7\. Whitlea has a Dragonite also has to do with the starter thing as mentioned above. I'll just say that she took care of Dragonite when he was a Dratini hence why her bond with Dratini is stronger than her starter. Also, in my White game, I traded for a Dratini called Sora and it's my best Pokémon that was able to take out Ghetsis' Hydreigon since it already knew Ice Beam when I got it at LV 1. Also, Dragonite is bigger than the average Dragonite but not as big as the one in the lighthouse episode in the original series...THAT ONE WAS HUGE!
> 
> 8\. When Ash was referring to that time with Misty, he's referring to her spraining her ankle in the 4th Pokémon movie...Pokémon 4Ever.


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